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Business Terms and Attributes You Need to Know

Commitment – This is an attribute necessary in every employee and leader. A committed person sees to the end what they were involved with in the beginning. A committed person gives it their all. People sometimes may not show some commitment if the direction and vision of the organization are not clear. People will certainly not commit to something they are not sure of. Commitment is almost similar to loyalty. When people buy-in to the vision and goals of the organization, they are likely to set aside their personal comfort and commit to the success and overall progress of the organization. When team members are committed to their tasks, completion and success is inevitable.

Company – This is a registered organization with employees and leaders. A company is also called an organization or a business. General structure of a company has Managing Director at the top (Chief Executive Officer) and below him/her are the individual departmental heads e.g. Sales and Marketing Director, Human Resources, Finance and Admin, Operations etc. A company is broken down into individual business units which seem independent but are actually interdependent on other departments. Companies’ existence is usually governed by the Companies Act of the country where the business is registered. See Business under the B Series. A company is also referred to as a corporate entity

Communication – The way we communicate internally and with external stakeholders is what normally divides successful companies from mediocre ones. If you cannot communicate with your employees about vision, targets etc, you should not expect miracles from them. If you can not be in touch with your customers and suppliers out there, no wonder you seem to be on an island of stagnation. Communication uses a channel which varies from print media to electronic media. More and more communication is now electronic as it is faster, less expensive and reaching a larger audience. Companies that have gone bankrupt can actually mention that because they failed to listen to the needs being communicated by their customer, they eventually ran out of business. Communication is a key for success.

Competition – When you have another company or individual offering services like the ones you offer they are considered your competition. You compete to win the heart of the customer. You compete for space, orders, attention etc. It is healthy to have competition. Your competition is not your enemy. It helps to keep your services in check. In situations where companies are a monopoly there is a general tendency to slip back, relax and assume business will always be there. This is why the same company will suffer the day a competitor comes onto the same market because customers never forget those that look after the diverse needs.

Confidentiality – Information in the organization has levels of exposure. Information that is for public consumption will be found in the press or on company noticeboards. Sometimes a bulk email may be sent to the whole organization. However certain sensitive information is just for a few recipients as the same information in the hands of someone on the shop floor could be scary enough raising tempers and anxiety levels within the organization. When minutes to meetings are leaked to people who are not privy to the discussions done then absolute chaos begins to brew. One quality for Personal Assistants and secretaries is the ability to keep confidence. If you do not excel in this area then you are not good enough as a leader or assistant to a leader.

Conglomerate – This is a business organization that comprises many business or companies. This is usually called a group of companies. This happens when leadership of the company decides on diversification into other business lines to a point where companies are registered to handle the extra lines or services instead of one company a diverse range of products and services. E.g. A Financial Services Group could have a bank, stock broking firm, Insurance company, Risk Management firm, Financial Accounting Firm, Auditing firm etc